Catching up with GEOPRO: Furthering research on geothermal flow loops
The GEOPRO project was launched with an important goal: to create better thermodynamic models that will optimise geothermal processes. To this end, technology engineering company and project coordinator TWI in the United Kingdom designed and commissioned a closed system of pipes, pumps and instrumentation known as a flow loop to carry out a wide range of tests in geothermal field-like conditions.
Enhancing understanding of geofluids
“Multiphase fluids, comprising vapour and brine, constitute an integral component of numerous geothermal systems. The interactions between these fluid phases tend to affect the physical and chemical properties of the fluid, thereby resulting in operational challenges such as pressure fluctuations, cavitation, mineral scaling, corrosion and overall transport efficiency,” explains project lead Namrata Kale from TWI. GEOPRO aimed to use its high-pressure flow loop to generate data that would help enable targeted advances in understanding and modelling the characteristics of geofluids. Now, almost 18 months after the project ended in October 2023, one of the GEOPRO partners is looking to perform further experiments with the flow loop as part of PhD research work. The design and construction of a flow loop specifically for geothermal applications was made possible thanks to EU funding. With this flow loop, GEOPRO was able to test optimal flow regimes under relevant conditions. Through the experiments GEOPRO researchers conducted with the flow loop, they were able to successfully demonstrate its capability to measure various parameters under multi-phase flow conditions, including their impact on the flow processes of geothermal fluids. “These flow-loop tests serve as proof-of-concept, demonstrating some of the invaluable capabilities of the flow loop for geothermal energy research and development,” states Kale. The successful creation of a flow loop for geothermal applications was not the only achievement of GEOPRO (Accurate Geofluid Properties as key to Geothermal Process Optimisation). The project has also enabled progress in work related to geothermal well modelling and in research on IDDP-2 wells, with findings published in peer-reviewed journals.
Keywords
GEOPRO, geothermal, flow loop, geofluid, fluid